Winter is in full swing. While that might mean cozy nights by the fire and magical walks in the snow, it also ushers in an additional season that isn’t quite as appealing: cold and flu.
Every year in the United States more than 200 thousand people come down with the flu, and the National Institute of Health tells us that close to 40 thousand of those people will end up dying from the condition each year.
Catching the flu or even a common cold is unpleasant and can pose a serious risk to anyone, but older adults are particularly vulnerable, especially those with pre-existing medical conditions or compromised immune systems. That’s why it’s so important to prioritize your wellness during these cold months, so that you can stay happy and healthy all year long. While of course there’s no way to guarantee you won’t catch the cold or the flu, the following are some useful tips to help you stay as healthy as possible in the hopes of avoiding illness.
Practice Good Hygiene
One of the best ways to ward off illness is surprisingly simple: wash your hands!
Although sickness can be spread through the air from droplets, such as when someone sneezes or coughs, another common way of catching something is simply by touching bacteria with our hands and then touching our own faces.
While, of course, no one aims to touch germs or feces, generally, the bacteria that we pick up on our hands are not detectable to the human eye. So, while our hands might look clean, they might actually be covered with germs from the flu that are super eager to find a new home for the next few weeks.
A study cited by the National Library of Medicine found that on average, humans touch our faces an astonishing 50 times per hour. When our faces are touched germs can then make their way into our bodies through our eyes, noses and mouths.
Thorough hand washing can significantly reduce exposure to cold and flu germs, diarrheal illnesses and antibiotic resistance. Here’s exactly how to do it:
- Use soap and clean, running water. Still water won’t have the same effect, and soap is essential to actually clean off any bacteria.
- Lather and scrub both hands front, back, between the fingers and under the nails for a minimum of 20 seconds.
- Dry hands, preferably with a clean towel.
While washing is the best method for cleaning your hands, a hand sanitizer can work in a pinch. Just be sure to not substitute it for the real thing when it’s available. Sanitizer is great to carry with you when you’re out and about, but make sure you wash your hands when you’re back home. Before we move on to our next point, let’s run through times when you should wash your hands:
- After using the toilet
- Before and after preparing food/eating
- After handling garbage
- After handling pet food
- After coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose
- After touching a wound
- After shaking hands
Get Enough Sleep
One of the best things we can do for our health is get enough sleep! It is recommended that adults get between 7-9 hours of sleep each night. If you receive less, then you could be compromising your immune system.
Sleep is an essential time for our muscles to repair and for our bodies to fight off infection. If we don’t get enough sleep our immune systems can become dysregulated, making it harder for them to mount a defense against illness. The Sleep Foundation even tells us that lack of sleep may be connected to a lowered effectiveness of vaccines, as well as the likelihood of more severe allergies.
Although sleep is incredibly important, many adults don’t get enough, so, here are some tips to help you get a good night’s rest:
- Sleep in a cool, dark room. Having the heat up too high can disrupt your sleep, so try turning the thermostat down a few notches or, if you’re in a place where it’s not too cold, crack open a window. If a completely dark room isn’t possible you might consider sleeping with an eye mask on.
- Stay off screens for an hour before bed. Try reading a book, having a bath or doing some gentle stretches instead.
- Avoid heavy meals too close to bedtime. If you’re hungry try a light snack like a piece of toast or some oatmeal.
- Keep your room free of clutter. It’s often easier to relax when your room is clean.
- Establish a clear routine of when you go to bed and wake up each day.
If you are following all of the above tips and are still having trouble falling asleep then it might be time to pay a visit to a doctor so you can rule out any sleep disorders that need to be addressed.
Diet and Hydration
Another important factor in keeping our immune systems healthy is diet. Our bodies thrive when fed a balanced diet of protein, healthy fats, whole grains and lots of delicious fruits and vegetables. Diets that are high in saturated fat and sugar can make us feel lethargic, which can impact our thinking, our sleep, and our desire to engage in other healthy lifestyle habits such as exercise. A poor diet can also lead to a variety of nutrient deficiencies, which can lead to issues with our body’s ability to mount an appropriate immune defense against illness.
Of course, many people struggle with how to overhaul their diet and quickly fall back into old habits by trying to make massive changes too quickly. So, instead, why not focus on some of the tips offered below to help you slowly transform your lifestyle into one that gives you more energy, focus and helps to keep your immune system strong?
- Include at least one serving of vegetables with every meal. High fiber vegetables are an especially good choice. They include leafy greens, carrots and broccoli.
- Drink at least four cups of water each day. There’s no set rule for how much water we should drink, but four should be the minimum. Harvard Health tells us that older adults in particular tend to not drink enough water, so be sure to drink lots of liquid throughout the day. That means water, herbal deal and occasionally juice. You can also get water through soups, smoothies and water heavy fruits and vegetables like cucumber and watermelon. Proper hydration supports our joints, immune system and digestion.
- Aim for the 50/25/25 rule. This nutrition rule suggests filling half your plate with vegetables, a quarter with lean protein, and the other quarter with carbs (either starchy vegetables or grains). This can help manage weight and is an easy way to boost nutrition without getting too particular.
- Have easy to grab healthy and enjoyable snacks. We often reach for sugar when we’re hungry, so to help you stick to a healthy diet why not stock your fridge and cupboard with tasty and filling snacks you actually enjoy? Consider nuts, chopped vegetables and your favorite dip, individual cheese packets, individual yogurts, fruit, and oatmeal.
Social Events
One of the best ways for older adults to stay happy and healthy is by maintaining a robust social life. Social interaction and connection is essential for a healthy state of mind, and unfortunately, many older adults don’t prioritize socializing as much as they might have when they were younger. It can understandably be scary to think about engaging in a new hobby or trying to make friends at such a late stage in life, but it’s crucial for physical and mental health.
Thankfully, most communities have centers that are specifically targeted towards programming and social events for older adults, which can help take some of the stress off of figuring out how to organically integrate those kinds of interactions into your life.
You should also consider reaching out to the people in your life who you already know and love. Set up a regular coffee date with your kid, or plan a weekly phone call with your sibling who lives out of state. You could also consider signing up for a class or volunteering with an organization you care about in your community. There’s no better time than now to discover a new passion, so think about what it is you’ve always wanted to explore so that you can make the most out of this winter.
Talk to Your Doctor
While it’s wonderful if we can get all the nutritional support we need through our diet, there may be times when our bodies need an extra boost. For example, many people in the United States, especially older adults with darker skin, are living with Vitamin D levels that are too low. Vitamin D ensures that there is an adequate amount of calcium in our bones for optimal function. Proper levels also help keep our immune systems in check. Although some can get enough of the vitamin D through sun exposure or diet, for many others it’s not possible, in which case an over the counter supplement might be of help. Apart from the benefits listed above, Vitamin D can also help to protect against depression and other mental health disorders. So, it’s worthwhile getting your levels checked at the doctor’s to see whether or not you should incorporate a supplement into your daily routine.
It’s also helpful to have a chat with your doctor to see if there’s any other adjustments you should make to your lifestyle or any other supplements that might help you lead the healthiest life imaginable.
Exercise
It should come as no shock to you that one of the best ways to stay happy and healthy this winter is by engaging in regular exercise. Mayo Clinic tells us that we should aim to get at least 150 minutes of moderate activity every single week, and at least two days of strength training. Strength training is especially important for older adults, as everyone loses muscle mass as they age. Strength training can also help with balance, functional movements like getting in and out of a chair, and fall prevention.
And of course, exercise is known to have a very positive impact on one’s mood, so really, what excuse do you have?
If you’re feeling lost on where to begin, why not reach out to a friend and suggest you be workout buddies together? You could try out a new class or even agree to go for a 30 minute walk together each day. Sometimes just having someone who can help hold you accountable can be the push you need to change your habits.
Layer
You might have heard or once said “Don’t go out like that – you’ll catch a cold!” Now, it’s not true that being out in the cold gives you a cold, but there is some sense behind the saying. When we spend prolonged periods of time in cold environments, it forces all the systems in our bodies to work harder. Our blood vessels constrict, our heart rate rises, and we naturally expend more energy participating in activity than we would if we were in a space with a comfortable temperature. This all puts a lot of stress on our bodies, which can cause a lot of fatigue, and leave us more susceptible to picking up viruses when exposed to them.
To help prevent this unnecessary stress on our bodies make sure to always dress appropriately for the weather. Layering is always a good option as it allows you to adjust to the temperature that feels best for you. Loose layers of wool, fleece and down are great for keeping your body temperature up. It’s also important to not leave much skin exposed, as that can drain heat from your body, so invest in good boots, hats, gloves and scarves as well.
Other Medical Preventions
The final recommendation for health during the winter is to talk to your doctor or pharmacist about getting this year’s flu shot. Each year scientists are able to predict which strains of flu are likely going to be most dominant in the population and formulate flu shots to target those strains specifically. While a flu shot doesn’t guarantee you won’t contract the flu, it can reduce risk by up to 60%, which is particularly important for immunocompromised individuals. To find out more, talk to your doctor or read up on some commonly asked questions on the American Medical Association site.
Masking is also a good option for protecting against illness when in crowded spaces, or when you or something you need to interact with is sick. The CDC offers more information on how to select and wear a mask should you choose to do so.
If you do end up sick, the best course of action is to rest at home, drink lots of liquids and get as much sleep and relaxation as you can. But, if you follow the tips above, hopefully you can avoid the cold and flu, or, be faced with the most mild case. There’s nothing that stops sickness entirely, but it’s always a good idea to do everything we can to protect ourselves!
